New UTC chairman: Staff treating me warmly

Recently appointed Chairman of the Unit Trust Corporation (UTC), T Ainsworth Harewood, on Friday night admitted that his inauguration into the company was not done under the “most ideal” of circumstances.

In spite of this however, he noted that he had since then received a warm welcome from an “extremely competent and dedicated” staff and board. Addressing members of  the media at the eighth annual UTC Media Appreciation function, held at the UTC’s offices on Independence Square, Harewood went on to urge the media fraternity to work towards developing a profession centered around transparency and accountability, striving for accurate reporting. He maintained that the board at the Corporation was cognisant of the media’s worth and considered it important to acknowledge what he termed a “valuable relationship.” “Those of us who underestimate the value of a free and unfettered press do so at their own peril,” he asserted.

However, he maintained, there were times when misunderstandings and misinterpretations hampered accurate reporting. He said, “We need to work harder at coming to terms with the way you operate, both the mechanical and logistical aspects and those intangibles that feed into professional judgement.” He went on to entreat members of the media to continue to focus on building their capacity in the area of financial reporting. UTC Executive Director, Clarry Benn, also expressed his gratitude to the media. “This year,” he said, “the UTC figured prominently in the media, probably a bit too much for our liking. But we recognise that this is what you do to get the message across to all and sundry.”

Welcoming Harewood to the UTC family, Benn explained that Harewood was in no way a stranger to the Corporation, having been instrumental in the formation of the UTC in 1981. At that time he was the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Finance. Subsequent to this, Harewood served as Governor of the Central Bank from 1992 to 1997, a position which required him to interface directly with the UTC. “So in a real sense, Mr Harewood is at home at the UTC,” Benn stated.